Eugene, OR June 21, 2006 -- GarageGames, the leading technology provider for independent and professional game makers, is pleased to announce the release of Torque Game Builder and Torque Game Builder Pro for Windows and Apple OS-X platforms.

Built upon the definitive technology of the popular 3D Torque Game Engine, Torque Game Builder features animated sprites, flexible tiles, special effects system, state-of-the-art collision, real world physics, and hardware-accelerated 2D rendering. Combined with these powerful features, the easy-to-use editors for interface creation, effects, tiles, level building, and packaging make Torque Game Builder approachable by anybody with the desire and drive to make a game. Though Torque Game Builder is a 2D engine, incorporation of 3D objects and features such as parallax scrolling allow users to create pseudo-3D games and environments, emulating anything from Super Mario Brothers to Civilization.

"Torque Game Builder is the next step on our course to revolutionize the gaming industry," said GarageGames President Mark Frohnmayer. "We won't stop until everyone with a passion to make games has the tools available to make that happen, using their own creativity and on their own terms. Much the same way that anyone can pick up an instrument and learn to play music, we want them to be able to pick up one of our engines and learn to make games. Torque Game Builder goes a long way towards making that a reality."

The Torque Game Builder pricing structure continues the long-standing GarageGames tradition of offering substantial discounts to Indie developers and hobbyists, making the C++ source code of the engine available, and charging no royalties, ever. Torque Game Builder is a complete product out of the box, but for those who would like to modify the core functionality of the engine, optimize the code for a particular game, or just peek under the hood to see how things work, GarageGames is providing the C++ and TorqueScript source code as part of Torque Game Builder Pro. This is the only difference between the two versions. Torque Game Builder is offered to Indies and hobbyists at $100 (retail: $495), and Torque Game Builder Pro is priced at $250 with the Indie discount (retail: $1250).

A 30-day trial version of Torque Game Builder will be available for download on the GarageGames website June 21, 2006. Torque Game Builder and Torque Game Builder Pro will be available for purchase June 21 as well.

Legends has been updated, full change list available on front page news at http://legendsthegame.net/ A lot of bug fixes, new features, some new guns, a new map.

Summary
Physics have been changed slightly to remove the last of the "floaty" feeling and the railgun is undergoing some tweaks to prevent it being used as a primary dueling weapon instead of a sniper rifle (it can headshot again, but you will want to stand still to fire it). The Plasma Rifle has been made the base trasher weapon of choice and the Ion Cannon is better. Shields have been added to objects as well as many other new things added.

New installers are available for Windows and Linux (we want you linux guys to improve the linux installer if there are any distro specific issues) - go to the Downloads section. http://legendsthegame.net/

Server Admins, please schedule 24hour or weekly updates and you do not need to put the version number in the servername anymore.

The RTS Environment Pack includes 172+ objects, 15+ Particle Effects, and 4 Unique Environments. All source art is included and the environmental effects are fully documented to make your life easier to try to bringing these effects into your game.

Torque Machinima - Tra5h Ta1kComment!2/23/06 7:38 PST | Torque Engine | Rifter
Over on Garage Games, I noticed a news post about a new Machinima series, using the Torque Engine. The new series is called Tra5h Ta1k and features some gaming news along with hints and tips on game play. You can either go to their site to view it, or, subscribe via iTunes. If you are into Machinima, I also noticed that their website has some other videos up, using different technologies.

Wednesday · February 15 · 2006

Brother's War is on its way.2/15/06 19:16 PST | Torque Engine | Rifter
Col. Sanders sends word that Brother's War is on its way, on the Torque Engine. This game will tackle a Civil-War time line, which is something I have not seen in a FPS. Here are some of the features:

Over 20 levels w/ sub goals and objectives – your main goal is to stay alive

Photo realistic 3D graphics powered by the Torque® Game Engine

Enter the war as an Infantryman – Confederate or Union

Multiple enemies including Confederate & Unions infantry, and many more

Interactive transportation including horses and wagons

Over 21 historically accurate Civil War era weapons

Weather and time-of-day effects

Thursday · February 9 · 2006

Dark Horizon beta test1 Comments2/9/06 21:07 PST | Torque Engine | Rifter
Here is a special Planettribes.com exclusive, thanks to the GREAT guys over at Max Gaming! This is your chance to help beta test the next big release from Max Gaming. Dark Horizon Lore is really the only mecha game left on the market. (Though, they are called MAVs, in Lore).

Wanted: 1st/3rd person gamers. For online beta testing of the new Anniversary edition of Dark Horizons LORE Invasion. Players must want to experience first handed the genetically engineered infantry units, go boldly into new environments and take out new vehicles out for joy rides!

If you are willing to accept the challenge and willing to dedicate your time to this test, WE WANT YOU!

This version will be a major expansion of the current game, including but not limited to:

- Upgrade in the core engine and art pipeline
- Addition of several new mission environments
- Addition of Power Armors and several accompanying vehicles
- New game play elements design around the addition of Power Armor
- New MAV weapons
- Expanded in-game COMCENT functionality
- New Vehicles
- And many more special add-ons we just can?t talk about yet!

So, if you?ve been waiting for a game designer to meld the Machine/Human experience, tune your browser to: beta.maxgaming.net and start the application process TODAY!

DHLI Anniversary Edition will be available as normal through our online
publishing partners, and also available on CD on deman.
In the tradition of the DHLI community, much of the coming features are
inspired by the Dark Horizons Universe http://www.darkhorizons-rpg.com and the
players who help make this community a great place to play.

GarageGames Publishes Tribal TroubleComment!1/16/06 8:55 PST | Torque Engine | Gryphon
GarageGames Publishes Tribal Trouble, a RTS game in which you lead your clueless kinsmen to victory by eliminating all other tribes.

A long time ago, a motley gang of Viking raiders go so drunk while celebrating their latest conquest and victory that they got lost on the high seas and found themselves stranded on a remote group of tropical islands.

Tribal Trouble is a realtime strategy game designed to be easy to grasp yet promising hours of challenging gameplay. Tribal Trouble breaks the mold of current RTS games by offering a full 3 dimensional computer generated maps with lots of adjustable settings. Whether you choose to help out the Vikings or Natives, battle the computer or other players online, an endless supply of different maps are waiting to be conquered.

Tribal Trouble is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Download a playable demo at www.garagegames.com.

Thursday · January 5 · 2006

The Junkyard talks to Adrian Wright1/5/06 11:08 PST | Torque Engine | RifterThe Junkyard has done a GREAT interview with Adrian Wright from Max Gaming, the creators of Dark Horizons: Lore Invasions. Lots of cool tidbits. While you are at it, check out the demo.

the Junkyard:Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your role on Dark Horizons: Lore Invasion's development.

Adrian Wright: Well my name is Adrian Wright, I am a long time Sci-Fi/Mech Gamer, starting back in the late 80's with the Battletech series and Multi-player Battletech, then great games such as Starsiege, Shogo, and the whole Mechwarrior series. I was blessed to run a couple leagues in my years as a gamer, CO and XO some great squads, and generally enjoy the genre from all aspects.

In 1998 or 1999 I set on my quest to make games, starting with working on a Total conversion of Shogo, working on mission for some of my favorite Mecha games, and in 2001, getting involved with the GarageGames community.

There I met several old time gamers like myself, who had some of the same visions and came to have to same commitment to want to make games.

Dark Horizons was a Sci-Fi Universe that I had come up with in the 90's when I was running MUDs, as a Sci-fi RPG. When I got into modding and working with some great people like ìAllen Campbellî (programmer on the recent Robotech games) I started the search for others to build my company and to make a game based on the Dark Horizons Universe (formerly Critical Subterfuge').

So finally in January of 2003 (almost 3 years ago) the team started to assemble, and the journey began on Lore.

Independent Games Festival media sponsor and North American game publisher Moondance Games has begun shipping its officially IGF-sanctioned PC game compilation Independent Games to U.S. retailers, featuring a number of full versions and demonstration builds of games previously featured in the Independent Games Festival.

Previously IGF-entered games featured on the compilation include full versions of Dark Horizons Lore, Global Defense Network, Rocketbowl and Strange Adventures In Infinite Space, as well as demo versions of Gish, Creatrix and others.

The Independent Games compilation, which retails for $30, also includes significant game contributions from long-time IGF entrants Digital Eel, Chronic Logic and Large Animal Games, and is expected to be available in further retail outlets over the next few weeks.

GarageGames, a leading creator and publisher of fun casual games, today released the exciting and award-winning game TubeTwist by 21-6 Productions. TubeTwist takes gamers on an incredibly engrossing puzzle adventure through five exotic worlds and over 80 mystical and increasingly challenging levels.

The renowned scientist in charge of Project TubeTwist has gone missing! In an attempt to find the professor, gamers must reconstruct her experiments and solve the mystery of her disappearance. This is accomplished by constructing a machine that will guide the professors' famous Macroton devices from their starting positions to a final reactor tube where their energy will be extracted and stored for later use. Over thirty different tubes of various shapes and sizes must be combined to complete the machines including spirals, switches, anti-gravity devices, twisty turns, and precipitous drops.

TubeTwist is a puzzle game fashioned after classics like The Incredible Machine and Mouse Trap. Each experiment has many solutions due to the large variety of tubes which can be used to construct each machine. There is no clock and there is no score - so just sit back and enjoy the mind bending fun that is TubeTwist! TubeTwist has been awarded the 2005 IndieGamesCon Player's Choice Award as well as a 2006 IGF Finalists for Technical Excellence.